Part 1 From Redundancy to Rejuvenation has been available in paperback form, but this is the first time that it will be released on Kindle together with

Part 2 Letting Go and Moving On – released for the first time – both parts as a combined novel:
The Healing Paths of Fife

Here is a description:

Diana walked along the Fife Coastal Path from North Queensferry – beneath the famous Forth Rail Bridge – to St Andrews. While on her way she trod in the footprints of a multitude of pilgrims and famous people through the ages, but she also followed in the steps of ordinary folks of Fife. She ‘met’ some fascinating characters – from St Margaret in Dunfermline to the real Robinson Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk, in Lower Largo.

Diana was enamoured by her beautiful surroundings along these healing paths. As she paused to have a ‘wee blether’ with those she ‘met,’ she learnt a new way of looking at her world, finding values which gave her a blueprint for the next stage in her life and she was fortunate to discover a sense of peace.

The further Diana travelled the more she became absorbed in the history of Fife and her affinity for the area grew.

As you read on you may find yourself ‘walking beside Diana.’ Her experiences might help you with some of the challenges you face in your own life, or they may inspire you to visit the region of Fife and have adventures of your own. Some would call this an allegory but it is certainly a memoir with elements of fantasy. Diana leaves the reader to judge which is which.

Part 1: From Redundancy to Rejuvenation

Serendipity! Diana’s husband’s job temporarily located them to Fife, at the same time as Diana was made redundant from a life time of teaching.

Part 2: Letting Go and Moving on

In order to live her new life to the full, Diana needed to truly let go of much of her old life. That did not mean forgetting her friends and family but finding a new and deeper relationship with them, even at a distance. As she and her husband threw themselves into a community life in Fife, deep down Diana was still searching for her true purpose and with the encouragement of new and old friends alike she ….

ISBN 9780993260834

The Healing Paths of Fife will be available as a paperback through Amazon by the end of April.

If TME Walsh in my last post was one end of the crime spectrum, the gritty end, Roderick Hart’s ‘Time to Talk’ is at the opposite. It is written like a memoir of someone setting up a psychotherapy business, written in the first person, and you are with the writer all the way as Max describes the less conventional way in which he decides to establish his practice and the unusual characters he meets. That is, until the law decides he is covering up involvement in serious crime. Here is a review for ‘Time to Talk‘ on Amazon:

“A Time to Talk is written in the style of a memoir and the voice is engaging, with a delightful turn

of phrase and an often original way with language.

Time to Talk on Kindle

There is also a self-deprecating tone, which allows the reader to feel both sympathy with the narrator and mild exasperation as he flounders among the ‘slings and arrows’. Max Frei, a freelance counsellor with nothing but the good intentions with regard to his clients, finds himself in conflict with the law and in debates with not only experts in his own area, but criminals outside it. All of this is accompanied by his bewildered but happy reactions to his own love affair. The story is told at a gentle pace giving the Max plenty of time for introspection, while events unfold around him.

Within this story there is much debate about the serious subject of mental health and the treatments available, but all told with humour and insight that I found refreshing. It is rare to find such such serious debates tackled in such a light conversational tone and accompanied by laughter.

I wish Roderick Hart every success with this novel and look forward to reading other books by him in the future.